1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a radio station connected to a wireless network where a plurality of communication devices communicate with each other through an access point, and an operation control program and an operation control method that can be used in the radio station.
2. Description of the Related Art
Nowadays, a wireless LAN for realizing data communications by radio between radio stations or between a radio station and an external network becomes widely available.
In a network of a wireless LAN, communication modes such as an “infrastructure mode” for radio stations to conduct radio communications through an access point and an “ad hoc mode” for radio stations to conduct radio communications directly with each other are available, and the communication mode of each radio station can be switched in response to the use of the radio station; generally, the radio stations are used in the “infrastructure mode.”
In the network according to the “infrastructure mode,” various settings of SSID (Service Set IDentifier or ESSID (Extended SSID)), WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy) key, etc., are made in each radio station, whereby it is made possible for the radio station to access an access point. When various settings are made in the radio station, if the radio station is provided with an easy-to-use user interface like a personal computer (PC), the user can easily make settings through the user interface.
However, with the radio station having no easy-to-use user interface as compared with the PC, such as a printer for providing services through a network, it is a very cumbersome and time-consuming task for the user to make settings through the user interface.
Thus, in some radio stations, the communication mode is switched into the “ad hoc mode” together with other radio stations and data concerning settings is transferred between the radio stations, whereby the radio station is indirectly set (remotely set up) from another radio station, or the radio station is connected directly to a PC by a cable and data concerning settings is transferred between the radio station and the PC, whereby the radio station can be indirectly set from the PC.
In this case, however, the radio stations with the communication mode switched into the “ad hoc mode” need to be moved so that they are placed in the positional relationship in which radio communications can be conducted, or the PC needs to be moved to a location where a cable can be laid out; after all, remote setup is also a time-consuming job.
Particularly, to remotely set up the radio station used in the “infrastructure mode,” the communication mode needs to be again switched into the “infrastructure mode” from the “ad hoc mode” after the remote setup is complete, and therefore the job more consumes the time.
Thus, with the radio station having no easy-to-use user interface as compared with the PC, such as a printer for providing services through a network, it takes much time for the user to make various settings.
Then, in recent years, various arts for decreasing expense in time and effort of such a job have been proposed. For example, one of the arts is as follows: An access point function is added to a network device such as a printer functioning as an access point, a proper wireless network is established by the function (AP function section), and from another radio station connected to the radio station through the wireless network, setting required for connecting to another wireless network (remote setup) is made indirectly by a radio station function (client function section) and then the access point function is stopped. (Refer to JP-A-2003-143156.)
This art makes it possible to decrease expense in time and effort required for making various settings in a radio station having no easy-to-use user interface.
JP-A-2003-143156 is referred to as a related art.
However, after the setting required for connecting to another wireless network is made indirectly in the network device in the art described above by the radio station function, the access point function is stopped.
If the network device can function as an access point (at least can establish communications with another network device) still after the setting required for connecting to another wireless network is made indirectly, it can be expected that the art (network device) will be utilized for uses such that the another radio station conducts radio communications through the wireless network via the network device, that the user is immediately notified whether or not setting for connecting the radio station to another network results in success, etc., for example.